Adobe Photoshop Tips
Working with a Selection
Question:
I've got this easter egg picture and I want to change the white
background color to purple. When I use the fill bucket the purple
color runs into the egg. It also looks ragged around the edges
of the egg. I want the egg to be crip and distinct from the background.
Answer:
Often the fill bucket will work just fine,
if the tolerance level of the fill bucket is not too high, it probably
won't run into the egg. However, you want to do a few things more
than change the white to purple. Try the steps below.
Define the area you want to change:
01) Choose
the magic wand tool on the floating tool menu.
02) Set the tolerance of the magic
wand to 12. Click the wand in the white area around the egg.
If the selection runs into the egg, make the tolerance lower
until it doesn't.
Now to create a less ragged area around the egg:
03) Use the
top menu option, Select, then Inverse.
04) Use the top menu option, Select,
then Modify, then Smooth. Choose a Sample
Radius of 4.
05) Use the top menu option, Select,
then Modify, then Contract.
Enter 1 pixel. This will help to reduce the ragged edges of the
egg by bringing the smoothed selection just inside the border
of the egg. There will soon be a new, smoother, egg border.
Now to paint the background purple:
06) Use the
top menu option, Select, then Inverse.
07) Choose the purple color you
want for the background.
08) Select the paintbrush and
paint in the selected area. Don't worry, the brush will not paint
outside of the selected area.
Now let's make the egg more distinct from the background:
09) Use the
top menu option, Select, then Inverse.
10) Use the top menu option, Edit, then Stroke. Stroke with 1 pixel,
black, location center.
11) Use the top menu option, Edit,
then Fade Stroke. Fade to 50
percent Opacity. If you don't fade the stroke it will appear
a bit ragged, as curves and circles tend to be a bit ragged.
12) Leaving the selection in place,
select the top menu option, Image, then Adjust, then Brightness/Contrast.
Increase the contrast to about +32.
13) Use the
top menu option, Select, then Deselect,
and you are finished. Since the picture is small, I suggest that
you save the egg as a GIF image to maintain the maximum amount
clarity and sharpness.
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